The Problem of Studying at Creative Universities: What Challenges Students Face

The difficulties of student life: from personal growth to real problems.

Students at creative universities usually share stories about building a close-knit, friendly community, connecting with like-minded people, and rewarding years of study. But along the way, they can just as easily run into real difficulties.

Practical training, technical resources, and the problem of finding work afterward. The DeTalks team gathered stories and examples of the less visible side of studying at creative universities.

The Problem of University Practicums

Hands-on experience in a future profession is a mandatory component of higher education. But in the arts, that experience often depends on individual instructors and the students themselves, rather than support from the university.

Students at the Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television shared their impressions of the university's practicum system.

Second-year student Ania Makedonska has described how actors and directors prioritize a particular instructor when applying, which means everyone's experience of the program ends up different, saying that in her case, her instructor does everything possible to give students hands-on experience in the profession, adding that students are invited onto commercial shoots and shown how the theater system actually works.

Each year, the practicum grows more complex: directing projects begin, involving students from different specializations. Young actors team up to create joint creative projects. This is how small teams form, with each member responsible for their own area. It creates a model that mirrors how a real theater operates.

But the intensity and complexity of a student's practicum depends heavily on the students themselves, since it's possible to start creating something interesting as early as the first year. Former KNUTKiT student Yana Sirak told DeTalks about problematic aspects she encountered.

Sirak has described how, during winter practicum in her first year, her group of TV presenters and announcers was sent to the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio, where they toured the facility and later watched a series of films several times, saying they were supposed to write reviews of the films, but no one ever checked them (and no one had taught them how to write reviews beforehand either).

Practicums for TV directing, editing, and producing students are more substantive within their chosen field of study.

For instance, in later years, the group of announcers Yana studied with completed their practicum at Channel 5 and Suspilne. As part of their practicum, TV presenters also attended the international student film and TV festival 'Prolog.' The main assignment there was simply to watch the films.

University Practicums at KUC: Ways to Earn Credit

Veronika, a fourth-year student in the PR and Journalism department at Kyiv University of Culture described a questionable credit-earning initiative — 'Bring a Friend.' The idea is that students visit Kyiv schools, hand out packets with informational brochures about the university, and encourage schoolchildren to fill out forms with their personal information.

If any of them ends up applying to KUC the following year — the student receives a bonus 25 practicum points. On top of that, successfully recruiting applicants can also earn money. But if a student fails to bring in any applicants — no points and no money are awarded.

According to the young woman, the practical component of her first-year studies was also lacking. Classes ran online and involved conversations with guest journalists and TV hosts. After events like these, students had to write news pieces about the event.

Veronika has described how the questions asked of guests were repeated constantly, and nearly every speaker gave almost identical answers, the student said.

Do Universities Provide the Necessary Equipment for Training

For a future career in theatre and film, learning to work on camera has to start early in one's creative career. Students from KNUTKiT and the Ukrainian Film School shared their own experience working with professional technical equipment.

KNUTKiT student Viktoriia Malook has described how the university doesn't provide adequate equipment for practical creative assignments — cameras, microphones, sound recording devices, and so on — saying that sometimes, to film certain material, students have to spend a lot of money renting the necessary equipment and spaces, said KNUTKiT student Viktoriia Malook.

So the on-camera problem becomes one of several technical issues, since even when the necessary equipment can be found at the university, it often turns out to be too old, or even unusable.

Former KNUTKiT student Yana Sirak told DeTalks that older classes of announcers had described having to hold a pencil case instead of an actual microphone during classes on working with a mic, which has since become something of a running joke among students.

What to Do After Graduation, and How to Realize Creative Ideas

After finishing university, students often face the question of 'what now?', since it isn't always possible to build a career in their chosen field. This is especially difficult for workers in creative professions, since the government cut funding for film production after the start of the full-scale invasion.

So graduates of creative universities have to look for additional sources of income. KNUTKiT student Viktoriia Malook has stressed that acting work can be combined with ad integrations and brand partnerships. To build her personal image, the young woman uses TikTok to grow her audience.

Former KNUTKiT student Yana Sirak added that it's worth trying to get onto film sets and into rehearsals, connecting with like-minded people, expanding one's skills, for instance by studying editing independently or pursuing a related master's degree.

Dasha, a graduate of the Euphoria acting school and former KNUTKiT student, shared her experience studying at a Ukrainian university and abroad.

According to the young woman, opportunities to realize her own creative ideas at KNUTKiT were significantly limited. Her studies took up a huge amount of time and demanded full commitment, but she lacked space for self-expression.

Dasha, a former KNUTKiT student, has described being told at Karpenko-Kary that there was no point talking about theater or film work until at least the third year, or until graduation. Whereas abroad, the main thing is simply that you're studying, with support available and film work already coming your way during your studies.

The young woman didn't name the specific university where she studied abroad.

Harassment and Disrespectful Treatment by Faculty

Over the past year, cases of harassment were documented at two institutions of higher education at once. For instance, KNUKiM instructor and 'Molodyi Teatr' ('Young Theatre') artistic director Andrii Bilous was accused of sexually harassing students and theater actresses. This was reported by former university student Sofiia Sapozhnik.

Part of the Molodyi Teatr staff also admitted to either experiencing harassment themselves or knowing about similar incidents. Andrii Bilous later stepped down from his position as artistic director of the Kyiv Academic Molodyi Teatr. But despite the criminal case opened against him, the instructor remained employed at the university and even earned the academic title of associate professor.

Another KNUTKiT instructor, Yurii Vysotskyi, was, however, suspended from teaching at the university over psychological abuse of students. A similar situation occurred at KNUKiM with Oleksandr Balaban, who was dismissed after accusations of harassing and bullying students.

Safety During the War

An equally important issue is the safety that educational institutions must guarantee for their students. At the start of the full-scale invasion, young people living in Kyiv had no way to return home due to shelling and the occupation of some cities.

On March 10, 2022, a video statement from KNUKiM students spread online, claiming that university administration was deliberately trying to force them out of the dormitory shelter.

According to a recording of the conversation, the day before the video statement was published, then-rector of KNUKiM Mykhailo Poplavskyi visited the bomb shelter. The purpose of his visit was to pressure residents who'd refused to leave. In the video, Poplavskyi stressed that if they refused to leave the shelter, the young men would be sent to the front, and the young women would be sent to volunteer in hot zones.

Students were repeatedly given eviction deadlines and threatened with the Security Service. They were even offered a cash reward of 10,000 hryvnias to leave the premises. But students who agreed to these terms were then refused the money. The university's dean's office did not confirm this information.

On the official Instagram page of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, claims of administrative pressure were denied. At the same time, the university added that students were only offered safer housing conditions at the university's Lviv branch, and 'guaranteed a financial payment.' However, the recording makes clear that there were no guarantees of safe transportation.

Despite these existing difficulties, education should give students the chance to gain meaningful practical experience and develop their creative potential. At the same time, students taking an active role in advocating for changes to the educational process also matters, since their level of professional preparation depends on it.